Case Study: Pairing shoes and romance for a buzz-worthy promotion

Background
Shoes Shoes Shoes, a Malaysian independent shoe label with a niche clientele of career women, wanted to be better known in a crowded retail space. 

Aim
To make a name for Shoes Shoes Shoes in a saturated retail environment and drive footfall into its two small boutiques.

Execution
Based on the insight that many girls grow up with two dreams—to find Prince Charming and to locate the perfect shoe—Ogilvy approached Shoes Shoes Shoes with the idea to pair the two. "We then approached executive dating company Lunch Actually with the idea, and they thought it would be a good way to showcase their dating service," explained Daniel Comar, regional ECD for Ogilvy. 

Using Lunch Actually's database, men who had signed up for the service were asked to pick out the 20 shoes they would like to see a potential date wear. The guys then promised to pay 10 to 100 per cent of the cost of the shoe. If a woman bought one of those pairs of shoes, she could then go online and check out her potential date's profile. After a date, the woman would be reimbursed by the man. The promotion ran on Facebook and in-store with cupcakes, a semi-nude male model and the cheeky slogan "Get a pair of shoes from Shoes Shoes Shoes and get a free man!".

The story was then fed to international influencers and opinion leaders while local coverage was amplified by feeding back the international attention to local networks and mainstream publications.

Results

The promotion stirred up interest in the local and international fashion retail industries. Locally, it generated 30 times more in PR value than the total campaign investment. The label bonded with existing and new customers, increased footfall and triggered repeat purchase. Customers also got to sample Lunch Actually’s matchmaking service. Around 50 pairs of the "date" shoes were sold, leading to about 10 dates.

"For Shoes Shoes Shoes, the aim was to generate increased sales, but also to better connect with customers. This campaign really succeeded in that respect, plus it drove a lot of footfall to the store, and brought in new customers," added Comar. "Shoes Shoes Shoes may be planning on launching the same promotion in their Singapore outlet."

Credits
Regional - Executive Creative Director Daniel Comar 
Creative Director Nuno Lemos
Creative Group Head (copy) Kay Chin
Copywriter Elissa Aziz
Art Director Ewan Yap
Designers Elle Poon/Javen Tan/Wei Kit Fong
Managing Director Mahesh Neelakantan
Account Manager Syed Alwi
Regional Digital Planner Gareth Ellen
Planner Guillaume Pagnoux
Art Buyer Vinod Kurup/Mandy Lee
Production Manager Kiam Seng Koh